Fife cyclist swaps bike for trainers as he prepares to run ultramarathon for Armed Forces charity

Iain Leggat, who is originally from Fife, but now lives in Edinburgh, will run 36.2 miles in the coastal EnduranceLife Northumberland later this month in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

With his parents both Armed Forces veterans, the 25-year-old is well aware of the work the charity does. His mum Penny, a former nursing officer late of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, volunteers for SSAFA’s Fife branch. His father James was in the RAF.

Iain will be running the ultramarathon, which starts and finishes at Bamburgh Castle, on February 25 – the day before his birthday, so he is hoping to give himself a bit of a birthday present by running a great time.

The fundraising event is not only Iain’s first ultramarathon, but also his first marathon. He completed a half marathon last October.

In preparation for the event, Iain, who is a marketing executive for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, has been putting in the miles with parkruns and he has been training with friends and fellow members of Good Time Running Club in Edinburgh.

However, he’s not underestimating the challenge ahead of him.

He said: “The blurb for EnduranceLife Northumberland states that runners will “enjoy sweeping sandy beaches and rolling dunes on this striking landscape steeped in history”. Well, I’m not disputing that it’s a beautiful part of the world, but my focus is on doing a good run, having a brilliant time with friends and raising a great amount for SSAFA.”

Iain has set himself a fundraising target of £360 for his challenge and he’s around a third of the way to his target.

"I want to smash this target, because of countless stories of the incredible case work that SSAFA does in Fife, across Scotland, the rest of the UK and even the rest of the world. Whatever they’re facing, our Armed Forces and their families can rely on SSAFA and its personalised support to help them through it, for as long as it takes to get that person’s life back to where they want it to be.”

To donate to Iain’s ultramarathon challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/ileggataround